Tourniquet
by SlayrGrl55
Summary: Ever wonder what Faith's life was like BEFORE Sunnydale?
1. The Here & Now

Title: Tourniquet

Author: Anna (SlayrGrl55)

Rating: PG-13 for language

Feedback: is much appreciated

Disclaimer: I don't own Faith or 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' I'm just borrowing them for a little while…

Summary: Faith is 16 years old and her mother has just died. She's been called as slayer and her world is torn apart. Can a new friend help her put it back together? (This will be the story of Faith's life before Sunnydale. I'm going to try to keep her as in character as possible, but I'm also going to try to explain why she is the way she is.)

Chapter 1: The Here & Now

          She sits quietly at the edge of the large body of water, watching the moonlight as it plays across calm surface. There is no wind tonight. No rain, no thunder. Nothing that speaks of turmoil or anger. She thinks, fleetingly, that there should be. There should be some kind of storm to reflect what goes on inside her tired head.

          She gathers some small rocks in her hand and slowly begins to toss them into the water. She tries unsuccessfully to make them skip across the surface but they simply refuse. _It figures,_ she thinks, _it's not like anything has gone my way so far. Why should my luck change now?_ When the rocks are gone she stands and absently wipes the dirt from her jeans. Tossing her hair behind her shoulder she turns and heads towards the path that winds through a patch of trees. The canopy of green obstructs the light from the moon and it is hard to see the ground she walks on. But she has walked this path countless times and knows it by heart.

The dirt beneath her feet turns to solid rock and she emerges from the darkness of the trees. Ahead of her is a small rock cliff, about 40 feet above the surface of the lake. Taking measured steps she approaches the end and carefully sits down, letting her legs hang off the side. She breathes deeply, as if trying to inhale the calm.

Her eyes close and she imagines a time when things were easier. She smiles as she remembers the warm sunlight on her skin and the eyes of all her peers on her as she approaches the same place she sits now. From the shore of the lake they silently watch, crossing their fingers and holding their breath. She looks down, only for a second, and then her head is held high again. Taking a deep breath, she says a quick prayer and leaps off the edge of the steep cliff. For the children at the shore, time stops and she seems to slow down in mid-jump, her long dark hair flying wildly. But time resumes and she hits the water, causing a splash. Time stops, again, as they wait for her to resurface. Seconds tick by, and finally the brunette appears. She takes a gulp of air and moves her hair out of her face. As she looks to the shore, the children jump and cheer. She has successfully jumped from the highest rock in the area, an accomplishment that not even the older kids have been able to call their own. Swimming back to shore, she smiles. She feels excited, proud, and most of all she feels accepted. But by the time she reaches the shore the excitement has died down and the cruel children have gone back to their indifference. The only attention she will get now is the occasional jealous glance. "Whatever." She mumbles to herself. "I didn't jump for them." She looks back up to the rock and the smile returns to her face. _Firecracker,_ she remembers, _that's what mom called me that day… after telling me how stupid I was…_

A bird lands on a nearby tree causing the leaves to rustle. The sound brings her back into the here and now and the smile fades. Sighing, she stands up and prepares to leave. She takes a look at the scene before her, as if trying to take a mental picture. After a few moments of silent contemplation she returns to the darkness of the trees, retracing her steps down the path she had taken earlier tonight.

When she reaches the sidewalk at the other end of the forest she squints as her eyes adjust to the harsh light. The streetlamps and the neon signs leave no shadows and she feels exposed under the ruthless glow. Pedestrians pass her and when they think they are far enough away, they whisper to one another.

"Did you hear what happened to her mother?"

"What is she doing out here at this time of night?"

"What's going to happen to her now?"

Her sensitive hearing picks up the words and she wonders how it is that the entire town knows what happened. Cursing the gossipers, she takes off at a brisk walk towards her home where she plans to curl up in her bed and cry herself to sleep.

Minutes later she jogs up the front steps to her home. She pulls her keys from her bag and unlocks the door. As she steps inside, a flood of memories overtakes her.

Christmas mornings. Childhood birthday parties. Baking cookies with her mother while they danced to Elvis…

She wipes the tears from her eyes and proceeds to her room where she changes into her pajamas and slides into her cold bed. She has spent nights alone in her house, but tonight is different. Tonight she knows there will be no pancakes to smell in the morning and tonight she knows there will be no one to greet good morning.

She lets the tears come and soon she is hysterical. She cries, unheard, for the unknown future she is heading towards and for the past she must leave behind. She cries for every mistake and every fight. She cries for everything she never got the chance to say.

Faith cries because her mother is dead.


	2. Shattered

Title: Tourniquet 

Author: Anna (SlayrGrl55)

Rating: PG-13 for language

Feedback: please review! it will make my day :)

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS, I just rented it from Joss… and I think he over charged me…

Summary: Faith is 16 years old and her mother has just died. She's been called as slayer and her world is torn apart. Can a new friend help her put it back together? (This will be the story of Faith's life before Sunnydale. I'm going to try to keep her as in character as possible, but I'm also going to try to explain why she is the way she is.)

Chapter 2: Shattered 

          Without fail, the sun rises the next morning. Unfortunately, her bedroom window lets in that light and it sprays her in the face like cold water. She rubs her eyes before she can open them; the tears from the previous night have dried there. Pulling back the covers she mumbles something incoherent about how curtains are supposed to block out the light, but her mother had always been the one to close the curtains when she came home from work every night. It was little actions like closing her bedroom curtains that made Faith tolerate her mother on those drunken nights.

          After violently pulling the curtains, closed Faith turns to the mirror above her dresser. Her hair is a mess and she decides she needs to shower. She strips off all her clothes, because after all there is no one home to see her, and she crosses the hallway to the bathroom. She turns on the water and lets it run for a few seconds before it is warm enough for her to use.

          For a while she doesn't even move to wash her hair or her body. She stands, silently, as her thoughts take her away again. She remembers just last week she had washed her hair, scrubbing to get the dried blood out of it. _She hadn't meant to push me that hard. She was drunk, she wasn't thinking straight._ When she snaps out of it she realizes that she must get cleaned up and she reaches for the apple scented shampoo.

          When she emerges from the shower the bathroom is so full of steam that she cannot see herself in the mirror. She wraps herself in a towel and stands in front of the sink, using her hand to wipe away the fog. When she sees her reflection she wants to look away. She looks tired, too tired for her young age of sixteen, but her eyes do not move and for a split second she sees her mother's casket. Disturbed, she jumps back. _What the hell?_ She leans on the sink for support and once again the tears obscure her vision. _No, not again._ She wills herself not to cry. _I hate crying._ But the tears do not hear her plea and they come anyway. As she gets more and more worked up, she grabs at her hair and finally releases a scream of anguish. She shakes her head, telling herself that this is not happening.

          _No, no, no, no, NO!_ In a flash her fist hits the mirror and it shatters to pieces. Suddenly she is shaken from of her outburst and she looks at the floor where the remnants of the mirror lay. She is amazed at her own strength, but credits it to her anger. Anger is strange like that. It gives you strength that you shouldn't have.

          Sinking to the floor, she begins to cry again. The glass cuts the bottoms of her feet and while she sits and cries the blood travels through the indents in the floor tiling. Time has no meaning as she sits there, the only thing that she hears are the sirens of the ambulances as her mother is rushed to the hospital…

          Hours later she is dressed. Her hair is pulled into an unruly ponytail and her sneakers aren't tied. Sliding into a chair at the kitchen table, she sips at a glass of orange juice and nibbles at a piece of buttered toast. She reaches for the remote and turns on the small black and white television in the counter. She flips through channels, not searching for anything in particular… just searching. A news station catches her attention and she raises the volume to hear it better.

          "A vicious murder rocks the small town of Sunnydale, California. Last night a teenage girl was murdered in a high school library. The police believe it was gang related. When police arrived, one suspect was still there. Buffy Summers, a student at the high school with a history of violence, was at the scene of the crime. She escaped police custody and is currently on the loose." The newscaster's unsympathetic voice rambled on as a picture appeared on the screen. It was of a young girl, blonde, petite. The caption read: Buffy Summers, murder suspect. "She is highly dangerous and police ask you to call the following number if she is spotted…"

          Faith turned off the television before she could hear the rest of the story. She has seen enough death already; she doesn't need to see any more.

Author's Note: The next few chapters are going to be longer, once the plot starts moving along. And I apologize for the huge gap in between chapters but I had someone editing/revising so it took a bit longer than I had expected. So if you're still reading this, PLEASE REVIEW! I'd like to know that I'm not just writing into thin air!!


	3. The New Guy

Author's Note: Thanks to Nikitangel, Faithful, rma and SlayGal for reviewing! You guys rock! It made my day :) Anyway, this chapter is a little lighter. Hope you all like it! Chapter 3: The New Guy 

          Monday morning she finds herself sitting quietly in math class, oblivious to the equations her teacher writes on the chalkboard. She was never any good at math anyway. She hears a bell ring and realizes that the class is over. She collects her books and exits the room. In the hallway other students rush by her in a hurry to get to their next class. She notices that it's always the younger students, the seventh graders, which tend to bump into others. They are new to the school and she understands, but it's annoying as hell when they cut her off or stop on the stairs.

          Her thoughts are interrupted when someone bumps into her, causing her books to fall. _Just great,_ she thinks, _damn seventh graders._ But when she looks she sees that it isn't a seventh grader but a boy her own age. They both bend down to gather her things and they lock eyes.

          He wears glasses, but not the nerdy kind. They look good on him. She doesn't have time to catch the color of his eyes before he stands, mutters an apology, and continues down the hallway. Shaken from the encounter, she stands on unsteady legs and continues walking back to her locker. Mechanically, she turns the dial on her lock and it opens with ease. She puts her math books in and takes out the ones she will need for English class. With one last glance at the pictures hanging in her locker, she slams it shut and resumes her day.

          Hours later it is seventh period and she enters American History class. Her teacher is cool, if not a little strange. She sits in her seat and opens her notebook to a clean page. She has found that taking notes and focusing on her work keeps her mind from… other things.

          The bell rings and class begins. The teacher begins to speak but the class' attention is moved to the door when a boy enters. He hands the teacher a slip of paper before being directed to the empty seat in front of Faith. Their eyes meet again and she recognizes him as the same boy that bumped into her in the hallway. He sits and slides his backpack under his desk, out of the walkway between the desks.

          _Considerate,_ she notes. But wait, the teacher is talking again. She turns her head upwards to look at him.

          "Class, we have a new student. This is Nicholas. He's just moved here from New York. Why don't you tell the class a little about yourself…"

          A few of the girls perk up at the chance to hear about this new student. He's cute. They're shallow. It's to be expected.

          The boy runs a hand through his hair and gets up from his desk to stand at the front of the room. Hooking his thumbs into his belt loops, he speaks. "Hi, I'm Nick. I'm from New York. My parents moved here for a business promotion. I like to play lacrosse, my favorite band is Greenday and I'm teaching myself to play the guitar." His eyes wander around the room as he wonders what else to tell the class. "Uh, that's about it."

          The teacher nods and Nick takes his seat, meeting Faith's gaze only for a second. The class resumes but Faith no longer pays attention. This teenage boy fascinates her. _He's tan_, she observes. His hair is dark brown, almost black, but dyed blonde at the tips. Her eyes travel away from his hair and she notices that his left ear is pierced. _Cool_. She takes in the rest of his appearance. Baggy denim shorts and a black tank top. _Lacrosse definitely works for him,_ she thinks as she notices his muscles.

          The next forty minutes fly by as she memorizes the back of his head and shoulders. Before she knows it, the bell rings and the classroom begins to empty. She closes her notebook, devoid of notes, and places it back in her bag. She follows Nick out of the room and as she walks to her locker she notices that his is just across the hallway from hers, a mere ten feet.

          She checks herself in the mirror but is bothered to see that she does not look her best. Her eyes have dark circles and her hair looks as if she never even bothered to brush it. _No wonder he ran off so fast, I look horrible_. Suddenly she feels guilty for checking out boys when she should be mourning for her mother and she throws her books into the locker, angry with herself. Her good mood is gone.

          The next day she enters the cafeteria solemnly. Her aunt hasn't flown in from Kentucky yet. _Big surprise_, she thinks. _It's not like any of them want to be bothered me… poor little orphan girl…_ Her thoughts continue the same pattern as she buys her lunch, a turkey sandwich, and sits down at an empty table in the corner of the room. Isolated from her peers, she can still feel their eyes on her. They talk about her, she knows, because her mother's death was the biggest thing to hit this town since World War II. Surprisingly, this part of Boston is quiet and reserved and bad things are few and far between.

She looks up and spots Nick walking her way. She brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. She got more sleep last night and she thinks she looks a lot better than yesterday. Her jeans are slightly wrinkled but tank top is fairly new and therefore makes up for the jeans.

Nick spots her but quickly looks away. She knows he is looking for a place to eat lunch. Bravely, she motions for him to sit with her and he moves towards her.

"Hey." He says at he sits in the chair across from her.

"Hey." She replies. Suddenly she is rethinking her bright idea. What are they going to talk about? "Nick, right?" He nods. "I'm Faith."

"I'm sorry about bumping into you yesterday. I was a little rushed, I had no clue where I was going."

She laughs and sips her Snapple. "Yea, this school isn't good for the directionally challenged. Don't worry, though. You'll get used to it."

He smiles at her and her breath catches. He is definitely attractive. She smiles back and wonders if he has a girlfriend. _I bet he does. Guys this hot don't stay single for long._

"So you play lacrosse, right?" she asks.

"Yea. I played back in New York and I'm gonna go today after school to sign up for the team." He takes a bite of his sandwich.

"That's cool. Maybe I'll stick around after school one day to watch a game." She smiles again. "Our school is seriously lacking in the athletic department so you'll probably make the team."

"I hope so." She notices that his eyes light up when he mentions lacrosse. This is a teenager with a passion.

They make small talk, trading favorite songs and bands and talking about the school. When the period ends she is sad to have to leave, but she remembers that she has History with him next.

"Can I walk with you to History? I'm not exactly sure where it is."

She nods and they walk up the stairs to her locker. She tells him cafeteria food horror stories as she grabs her History notebook. He glances up and notices the pictures taped in her locker.

"Is that your mom?" Nick asks as he points to a picture of her and her mother on her 16th birthday.

"Yea." She answers sadly. "She…" She takes a deep breath and forces herself to say it. "She's gone."

He wasn't expecting that answer and his face shows his shock. "I... oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"It's okay." She closes her locker and they walk to History class. They take their seats as other students chatter around them. He turns around and faces her.

"Would you want to hang out after school? I need to go see the coach but after that I'm free…"

"Yea. I'd like that." She smiles and he smiles back. The bell rings and he turns around to face the teacher. For the moment the bad things have fled her mind and all she can think about is the boy in front of her. Glad for the distraction, she settles into her daydream as the teacher begins the lesson.


	4. City By The Sea

Author's Note: Hey guys! This chapter starts Faith's journey into slayer-ness! … Is 'slayer-ness' a word? Well, it is now. Enjoy the chapter :) Chapter 4: City By The Sea 

          After ninth period Faith rushes to her locker. She is so flustered that it takes her a few tries to open her locker, but eventually she does. As she glances into the mirror in her locker she realizes that there is a huge grin plastered on her face and she feels guilty. _I shouldn't be this happy... not so soon…_

          She grabs her book bag and a few things she will need to do homework. Fixing her hair quickly, she closes her locker and leans against the wall attempting to look casual. Nick turns the corner and she notices that he walks a little faster when he sees her. With one last deep breath, she approaches him.

          "Hey." She greets him.

          "Hey." He answers back as he opens his locker. As he rummages through his books she looks at the pictures he has taped to the door of his locker. There's an autographed picture of the members of Greenday and a few other snap shots of his friends. She sees no pictures of him and anyone who might be his girlfriend. She is relieved.

          "I'm supposed to talk to Coach Steuber, do you know where he is?" he asks.

          "Yea, his office is by the boys locker room." He closes his locker and falls into step beside her.

          "We should go out the front door and walk around back to the track, there's a door to the boys locker room from there and I'll wait outside." She explains.

          "Any special reason we have to walk all the way around the school instead of just walking through the gym?" he wonders.

          She laughs. "You don't wanna walk through the gym after ninth period." She warns him, "The junior varsity volleyball team practices in there and their aim sucks. The minute you walk through the gym doors you'll get hit."

          The weather is beautiful and Faith enjoys the warm sun as they make the short walk around the school. When they reach the track she points out the door to the boys locker room. "I'll be waiting by the bleachers."

          "Okay, I'll try to be quick."

          When he disappears inside the school she makes her way over to the bleachers. Kicking a discarded coke can, she paces back and forth before finally deciding to sit. She takes the messenger bag off her shoulder and places it beside her and she leans backwards, resting on the bench behind her. She watches the track team as they warm up.

They do their stretches, holding each for thirty seconds. After a few minutes they finish and take their places on the track to do the next round of warm ups. At the coach's signal, they skip to the 100-yard line. _Wow, that's embarrassing._ At the next signal they do lunges. _I'm so glad I never joined track._ She watches them continue to practice and every once in a while has to laugh out loud.

She hears a door open and close and turns her head to see Nick exiting the boy's locker room.

          "Take a look at the newest member of the lacrosse team." He says happily. She congratulates him and he reminds her of her promise to come to one of their games.

          An hour later they find themselves walking along the boardwalk, enjoying the view of the water.

          "I'm suddenly having flashbacks to American History class." Confused by his statement, she looks up at him in question. "You know, the Boston Tea Party. A couple of hundred years ago that was all happening right here."

          "Oh." She knows vaguely of the Boston Tea Party. "I'm not good with history, too many dates and places to remember."

          "Yea, but I like that class. Our teacher isn't so bad either. Although… why is there a pink carpet in the class room?"

          "It's mauve, not pink." She tries to keep a straight face but fails miserably and laughs. "He is a very strange man."

          "So there's no method to his madness?" he asks.

          "Not as far as I know… but don't rely on me for information. School isn't my thing. I'm barely passing that class."

          "I could tutor you." He suggests. She looks up at him and wants to say yes, but figures that tutoring wouldn't help her anyway.

          "No, that's okay. But thanks for the offer. I'm not smart, but I've gotten over it." An uncomfortable silence looms over them. He wants to help, and she wants to be helped… but she thinks it's a bad idea. _He doesn't need to know how stupid I am._ She spots a small shop up ahead. "You wanna go get snack or something?" He nods, thankful for this detour from their conversation.

          They enter the store and he follows her to the beverage aisle. She grabs a bottle of Snapple and then tells him she's going to look for chips. She stops where the chips should be but finds a display of sour candy instead. _Okay, so where are the chips now?_ Not paying attention, she turns and walks straight into a woman.

          "Oh, sorry." Faith apologizes as she walks around the woman.

          "Faith?" She stops when the woman says her name. "Faith Matthews?"

          A chill goes down Faith's spine. _Who is this chick?_ Slowly she turns around to face her.

          "Who wants to know?" she asks coolly. She looks the woman up and down, guessing that she's about 37. Bright red hair pulled into a bun, tweed pants suit with ugly shoes and an all-around arrogant demeanor.

          "Oh, excuse me. Where are my manners? I'm Ashley Nelson. I am to be your watcher." She takes a step closer to Faith and reaches out to shake her hand. Faith recoils, stepping back and bumping into the display of chips she had been looking for.

          "My watcher? What the hell are you talking about, lady?" Faith is confused. Is this her aunt from Kentucky that was supposed to come stay with her? She doesn't think so.

          "I know you must be very confused but if you'll come with me I will explain everything, I'm afraid we didn't find you a soon as we had hoped to. Our resources have been a little on the tardy side lately, but I assure you that I am not here to harm you."

          "I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me what is going on. Who are you and how do you know me?" her voice is louder than she means it to be and the couple begins to attract the attention of other customers.

          Stepping closer, Ms. Nelson says quietly, "Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil-"

          "Whoa! I think you need to get your head checked out, okay? I can show you to the nearest doctor…" Faith begins to back away again. _I knew something wasn't right… this lady is insane._

          "No, Faith, you are the Slayer. You must believe me! The fate of the world rests in your hands!"

          "You're insane! I'm not a slayer, I'm not a chosen one! I'm nothing special!"

          Ms. Nelson pulls a piece of paper from her pocket and hands it to Faith. "Meet me here at 10 o'clock tonight. I will give you proof." And with that she leaves, the bell above the door indicating her exit.

          Faith's head is spinning. Was it true? Was she a… a slayer? She feels a hand on her shoulder and spins around to find Nick looking at her worriedly.

          "So… what's a slayer?"


	5. That Night

Author's Note: Ta-da! A new (kinda short) chapter! To Nikitangel - My idea to write the story in the present tense was a challenge that I set for myself after I wrote a short fic called 'Goodnight' last May. I think the present tense narrative sets the story apart from others, and also makes it a bit more interesting. Thanks to Faithful, RMA and SlayGal for giving me awesome feedback. I love your reviews!

Chapter 5: That Night

          At 9:30 Faith stands in the poorly lit kitchen of her house, staring at the piece of paper she holds in her hand. The paper reads 'Hillman Burying Ground'. Her first thought is _Why does she want me to meet her in a cemetery?_ But her second, and more upsetting thought is _That's where my mother is._ She crumples up the paper and tosses it over her shoulder. It makes a noise as it falls into the garbage can.

          Collapsing into a chair, she wonders what Nick is doing. After the incident at the store, they talked for a while and wondered what Ms. Nelson had been going on about. Faith continued to argue that she must have been insane but Nick seemed interested in the idea and urged Faith to meet with the mysterious woman. She had walked him home, promising to call him and fill him in on the details later, and he told her to watch her back.

          Now she sits with her head in her hands as she decides whether or not to go to the cemetery. On one hand, she shouldn't go meeting strangers in the cemetery at night because it is obviously a bad idea. On the other hand, if she doesn't go she will continually wonder what might have been. Something in her gut tells her to go, and instinctively she listens. She grabs her denim jacket from the hook in the hallway and rushes out into the night.

          As she hurries across town to Hillman Burying Ground, she has plenty of time to rethink her choice. She imagines all the ways in which this night could end badly. _I could be kidnapped, mugged, murdered…_ Her feet sink into the damp grass of the cemetery before she even realizes she has arrived. She stops, still standing on the outskirts or the graveyard, and looks around for Ms. Nelson.

          The gray rock of the headstones reflects the moonlight, giving the entire area an eerie glow. There is no stereotypical fog, though, just freshly cut grass.

          She takes a few more cautioned steps and feels as if she is entering forbidden territory. She hears a noise and turns towards the stone archway she has just walked through. A white and red sign states that there should be no trespassing after 8 pm. _That explains the forbidden territory theory…_

          She hears another noise and turns back towards the endless sea of graves. In the distance she sees a figure running, weaving in and out the headstones. The figure trips and falls and a cry for help echoes in Faith's ears. Reacting quickly, she takes off across the grass. The flowers on the graves pass by in a blur as she runs, feeling as fast as the wind itself. As she gets closer she can identify the figure as Ms. Nelson. She hastens her pace but the ground seems to stretch out in front of her, leaving her no closer to her goal.

          That's when she notices the second figure that she had missed before. The shadow it casts is menacing and she swears she hears it growling.

          Ms. Nelson whimpers helplessly on the ground as the figure looms over her. Snarling, it leans forward, aiming for her neck. As the figure gets closer, she reaches into the bag that lies on the ground beside her. She fumbles for a second but then pulls out a sharp piece of wood, jamming it directly into the chest of her attacker. Before Faith's eyes, the figure disintegrates into dust and the ashes fall to the ground.

          Her feet stop suddenly and her momentum carries her forward, causing her to land on her knees. Taking in deep breaths of air, her wide eyes watch as Ms. Nelson picks herself up off the ground and returns the wooden weapon to her bag. Catching her breath, Faith coughs and for the first time Ms. Nelson notices the young girl.

          "What the hell was that?" she gasps.

          Ms. Nelson offers her hand and Faith takes it. She stands on trembling legs and her eyes have refused to leave the patch of grass where the evidence of the creature lies.

          "That," Ms. Nelson explains, "was a vampire."


	6. It's Real

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I had a really busy weekend. Thanks for the reviews, keep 'em coming :)

Chapter 6: It's Real

          "A vampire?" Faith asks skeptically. Ms. Nelson only nods in response. Still trying to catch her breath, Faith can feel her body trembling with fear and uncertainty. The world around her starts to blur and she feels the bile rise in her throat. She falls to the ground again, her loose hair obscuring her face. She coughs and suddenly her digested lunch is spilled onto the cemetery grass. She feels like she has been punched in the stomach. The vampire turning to dust was not a trick of light, it was real, and if the vampire was real then that meant she is really a slayer.

          An hour later she finds herself on a small gray couch in an apartment. How she got there, she doesn't remember. The past hour is a blur of watercolors that she cannot decipher.

          Ms. Nelson appears beside her, ushering her to take the presented cup of hot chocolate. Faith mumbles a thank you and wraps her hands around the mug, absorbing its heat. Slowly she brings it to her lips, testing its temperature. It burns her mouth and she blows on it in an effort to cool it.

          Across the room Ms. Nelson is kneeling beside a large wooden box. Curious, Faith cranes her neck to see. When Ms. Nelson moves to the left, Faith can see that the box is filled with weapons she has only seen in movies. She spots part of what looks like a crossbow, the old fashioned kind. A metal ball with the spikes rests next to it. A hint of light catches her eye and suggests that there is a sharp dagger hidden there. Maybe even a sword or battle-axe… _Wicked._

          As the trunk is closed Faith realizes the woman has caught her staring and she goes back to cooling off her drink. Focusing her attention on the liquid, she watches the ripples at its surface as she blows.

          "Faith," her voice is unsurprisingly stern, but with an undertone of concern that is almost imperceptible, "I can only imagine what you must be feeling right now. You are confused and don't know if you can believe what I am telling you. If you want, I can show you more things to prove to you that I am telling the truth. I have a few volumes of Watcher's Diaries-"

          "I believe you." Faith cuts in and Ms. Nelson is obviously surprised. "I saw that vampire and I know what you're saying is real. The only thing I don't get is why you chose me." Her gaze does not move from the mug of hot chocolate. "I've got nothing to offer you."

          "_We_ didn't choose you Faith. You were just chosen. No one knows how slayers are chosen exactly, they just are. There are girls all around the world who are born with this potential, but only a small percent of them ever go beyond that potential."

          "I still don't understand. Why now? Why is now so special?" Her voice cracks but she doesn't notice.

          Ms. Nelson sighs and takes a seat on the couch next to Faith. "There can only be one slayer at a time. When one is called, her Watcher trains her to fight and she fights every day until her fight is over. When one girl's fight is over, a new girl is chosen to take her place."

          Although she has not said the word, Faith understands. "When one girl dies, you mean."

          "Yes, when one slayer dies her power is passed on and the next is called. You are the heir to that power, Faith. It is your turn to fight." There is a silence that spans for minutes as each of them wonder about the battle before them. Will they be successful? How long will they last? Will the end be painful?

          "Who was before me?" Faith asks quietly.

          "A girl named Kendra. She was from… well I'm not actually sure where she was from, but she was helping the other slayer in Sunnydale when…"

          "I thought you said there was only one slayer?"

          "Oh," Ms. Nelson squeaks, "yes, there's that.  Your predecessor Kendra was called when her predecessor drowned. However, slayers are tough and she was revived. That's how two slayers exist at once. It's quite unusual; the Council is still researching it. Anyway, there was a problem in Sunnydale, California a few days ago and Kendra was flown there to help Buffy. Kendra was killed in battle…"

          "Did you say Buffy?" Faith's brain remembered that name. Where was it from? She had heard it before, she was sure of it.

          "Yes, Buffy Summers." Ms. Nelson clarified.

          It all comes rushing back to her and she can clearly see the face of Buffy Summers just as she had seen it on the News a few days ago. "She's blonde, about five feet tall. A suspect in the murder of a girl in a high school library."

          "Yes, how do you know all this?"

          "I saw it on the news."

          "Oh," she says softly, "Kendra was killed by a vampire named Drusilla in a high school library. Buffy found her there and the police arrived at a particularly bad time. They assumed she was the murderer and tried to arrest her. Slayers, however, can outrun bullets. She escaped from the police and averted an apocalypse." Ms. Nelson seems hesitant to continue. "But… but no one has seen her since. She's run away apparently."

          "So it's really just me then? The fate of the world rests in my hands." She looks down at her hands that are now resting in her lap. Her black nail polish is chipped, she notices.

          "Yes, I'm afraid so." Ms. Nelson stands. "But you have me to train you. You have a lot of power now. Strength, speed, accelerated healing. I will teach you to control all of it. I will teach you to use your body as a weapon to kill vampires and demons and you will be a force to be reckoned with."

          For the first time all night, a hint of a smile appears on Faith's lips.

          "So when do we start?"


	7. From One Extreme To The Other

Author's Note: thanks to rma, Nikitangel, SlayGal and Something Evil for reviewing! It makes me all tingly inside, lol :)

Chapter 7: From One Extreme To The Other

          It's two in the morning before Faith leaves Ms. Nelson's apartment and starts to walk back home. She has a lot of information to process but there is an unmistakably glow emanating from her. She has never felt this excited before. Never felt this needed.

          There is a song on her lips as she jogs up the front steps to her home. Once inside, she bumps the door closed with a swing of her hips and hangs her coat on the hook near the doorway. Dropping her keys on the kitchen table, she grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator and picks up the cordless phone. She dials a number and puts the phone to her ear, holding it in place with her shoulder as she opens the bottle of water. She takes a sip as the line rings.

"Hello?" a bleary voice answers.

"Nick, it's Faith." She says, "Sorry to call so late but I just got back."

"No, its okay. You're just really lucky that my cell phone woke me up. It's not an easy task." He sounds a bit more awake now, "How'd it go?"

"It's real. It's all real!" She can hardly control her enthusiasm. "I went to the cemetery and…"

For the next ten minutes she tells him every detail of her night. Her story is punctuated with his exclamations. 'Really?' 'No way.' 'That's so cool.'

"Tomorrow after school I'm gonna go back to her apartment and I'm gonna start my training. I can't wait to use the weapons she's got."

She hears him yawn and looks up at the digital clock on the microwave.

"Oh damn. It's late… or early, actually. I'll talk to you in school, okay?"

"Yea, we'll talk at lunch. Good night." He yawns again.

"Night."

She hangs up the phone and places the half empty bottle of water back in the refrigerator. Switching off the light, she stretches her arms above her head as she takes the steps two at a time. When she finally crawls into bed, sleep is the last thing on her mind. She lies silently until the first rays of daylight seep through the edges of the closed curtains. Unable to stay in bed for any longer, she gets up and decides to take a shower. As she steps foot in the hallway she feels a sudden ache. She misses her mother.

Closing her eyes she fights against the memories that try to enter her mind. She takes long, deep breaths and a lone tear runs down her cheek. She braces herself against the wall, steadying herself because she knows that if she begins to cry her legs will buckle and she will hit the floor. Her emotions, unfortunately, have always gotten the better of her. Anger, frustration, happiness and love. They always go to the extreme.

Once when she was young she had asked her mother for a puppy. Her mother was never home and she wanted someone to spend the lonely hours with, but the cruel women had denied her a companion, brushing off the request without a second thought. Enraged, Faith had locked herself in her room and cried for hours. She had even knocked over her lamp, leaving it in pieces on the carpeted floor. Her mother had never even noticed. For over a week Faith avoided conversation and sent angry glares but her mother was too busy with work during the day and too busy drinking herself into oblivion at night to notice the pain of her daughter.

When she is sure a second tear will not follow the first, she stands up straight again. Forgetting the shower, she stumbles down the stairs wondering why she even cares that her mother is gone. _Was life so great while she was here?_ No, it wasn't.

It's eight o'clock before she finally makes it to school. She's late and rushes up the stairs. She turns the dial and opens her locker in record time. _I guess that's my slayer speed at work._ The halls are already empty, first period has begun. The sound of her footsteps fill the hallway.

As she opens the door to room 312 her peers look up at her. They are thankful for this slight distraction from factoring and rational numbers. The teacher asks, "Do you have a late pass?" Faith shakes her head indicating that she doesn't have a pass, and quietly takes her seat in the back row. _This is going to be a long day…_

It seems as if a century has passed before she enters the cafeteria. She reaches into her pocket and realizes she has no money for lunch. _I wasn't hungry anyway._ From the corner of her eye she spots Nick at a table so she walks towards him, but before she reaches him a short blonde girl approaches the table. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she smiles at him. Faith stops a few feet away.

"You're in my chemistry class, right? Third period, room 318?" she asks.

"Yeah." He replies.

"I'm Ivy." She notices the girl has a pierced tongue.

"I'm Nick."

"Yea, I know." Ivy moves towards an empty chair, "Is this seat taken?"

"Actually, it is. I'm waiting for my friend."

Ivy's eyes are comically wide. She's probably never been turned down before. Faith can't help but laugh.

Hearing her, Nick turns around. "Hey Faith. I was wondering where you were."

Ivy places both hands on her hips. "You were waiting for _her_?" she makes a sound of disgust. "Whatever." She storms off and Faith wonders how she doesn't trip in those ridiculously high heels she's wearing.

Still laughing, she takes the seat across from Nick. When she turns to look at him she is surprised that he is staring at her.

"What?" she asks.

Quickly, he looks down. "Nothing."

A voice inside her head says _He was checking you out!_ And she allows herself to revel in the compliment before her mind has time to come up with another explanation.

"So you're going to see her again tonight, right?" He takes a bite out of his pizza.

"Yea. Oh, did I tell you? I don't really have an aunt in Kentucky. The Watcher's Council, the guys in charge of this whole slayer thing, talked to Social Services and told them that Ms. Nelson was my aunt and that she was gonna move here to take care of me. They forged a bunch of papers and stuff, so it looks legal. And I can still stay at my house and Social Services won't bother me. The Council's got some pretty handy connections."

 Pretending to be sneaky, she reaches across the table and steals a fry from his plate. He watches her take the fry and glares at her, but keeps talking.

"Wow. I wouldn't wanna get on their bad side."

"You can say that again."

"Wow. I wouldn't wanna get on their bad side."


	8. Quick Exits

**Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed! And sorry for the long gap in between chapters… I've had a busy week!**

**Chapter 8: Quick Exits**

Rushing out the door of the classroom, Faith hopes Nick will not follow her. Picking up her pace, she navigates through the crowded hallway of students and teachers.

"Hey, Faith! Wait up!" she hears Nick's voice somewhere in the crowd behind her. _Dammit._ She stops and waits for Nick to catch up to her.

"Why'd you run out of History so fast?" he questions her. She knows she's confused him.

"Sorry, I just… I don't wanna be late for gym class." She lies and it passes through her lips easily. She's had practice to refine her technique.

"I'm walking that way anyway." He assures her. 

She smiles halfheartedly and turns her head to look at anything other than him. _Don't ask, don't ask… please don't ask…_

"What did you get on the test?" he holds up his test paper, an A+ is clearly written at the top.

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and mumbles something that he cannot hear. He leans closer and asks her to repeat what she said.

"I said I failed!" she replies irritably. She shows him the test paper with the letter F circled in red at the top. She finally looks up at him and watches his facial expression change from surprise to worry. He is about to speak but she cuts him off as she begins to back away.

"Don't worry about me, okay?" she nods her head towards the gym doors. "I gotta go."

The warning bell rings as she walks away from him, leaving him speechless. She doesn't look back because she doesn't want to see the hurt look on his face.

Slamming open the gym doors she receives an angry look from the gym teacher but she ignores it and slams open the locker room door, too. When she turns down the aisle where her gym locker is she runs right into another girl.

"Oh, sorry." She apologizes as she walks around the girl.

The only reply she gets is a sound of disgust. Looking back, she sees that the girl she just ran into is the same girl that had been talking to Nick at lunch. All her anger towards Nick melts away and is quickly replaced for seething hatred towards… _What was her name? Oh, yea. Ivy._

She grabs her sweatpants and tank top from her gym locker and begins to undress. Ivy, she notices, is looking her way with a disapproving glance. Faith, however, is not in the mood for it.

"You got a problem?"

Ivy looks down at Faith's right arm.

"Nice tattoo." She says sarcastically, "Did you get it while you were drunk?" Ivy puts her foot up on the bench and bends over to tie her sneaker. Just above the line of her sock, Faith sees a band of leaves around her ankle.

"No." Faith replies, "Did you get _that_ while you were high?" Closing her locker, Faith walks away before Ivy can respond.

Once all the students have gathered on the bleachers, Mrs. Marcus announces that they will be running the mile today. The assorted groans and complaints echo off the gym's high walls as the class comes down off the bleachers and files through the narrow doors that lead to the outside track. The teacher stands at the starting line, writing things down on her clipboard and preparing her stopwatch. A few students claim they are sick and have to go to the nurse, but that excuse never works. Distanced from the various cliques of friends, Faith stands alone and stretches her muscles.

A few minutes later, when everyone has finished warming up, they line up at the starting line. Ivy appears next to Faith.

"I hear that hangovers are horrible. Do you think you'll still be able to run?" she asks with fake sincerity.

Pulling her hair into a ponytail, Faith replies, "I hear marijuana causes brain damage. How much did you have to smoke to get this stupid?"

Mrs. Marcus blows her whistle and the crowd of unenthusiastic teenagers takes off at a quick pace that will not last. Faith doesn't mind though. With her new slayer strength and speed she easily passes the majority of the runners and quickly completes her first lap around the track. While running her second lap, Ivy appears beside her again.

"What do you want now?" Faith asks, clearly annoyed.

Breathing heavily, Ivy is striving to keep up, "I just wanted to know…" she wheezes, "How long do you think you're gonna keep a cute guy like Nick…" she smiles, "with a bruised face." Ivy's foot unexpectedly shoots out towards Faith's legs. It would have tripped her, but Faith's reflexes are quick. She jumps and avoids Ivy's leg and laughs when Ivy loses her balance and trips.

While Ivy is still on the ground, Faith continues running and as she approaches the end of her second lap the teacher calls her over. Confused, she slows her pace and comes to a stop.

"Ms. Matthews," Mrs. Marcus says sternly, "I saw you push Ivy. What did you think you were doing?"

"What?" Faith is outraged. Clenching her fists, she wonders if gym teachers fall under the realm of evil demons. "I didn't push her!" she insists.

"Don't lie, Ms. Matthews. I know what I saw. You have detention after school today. Three o'clock, don't be late." Mrs. Marcus walks away leaving Faith shocked. Looking up, she sees Ivy limping towards the gym door. She turns her head and waves innocently at Faith and then disappears into the locker room.

Faith feels a tingle in her stomach, telling her something is not right, but she dismisses the sensation and sits down on the bleachers. Holding her head in her hands, she wonders why her life seems to be cursed.

Later, after her last class of the day, Faith hurries to her locker and grabs the books she will need to do homework. She sees Nick turn the corner at the opposite end of the hallway and quickly shuts her locker and runs down the stairs before he can reach her. Narrowly escaping him, she misses the disappointed look on his face when he sees her quick exit.


	9. Training Day

Author's Note: I am so sorry that it's been so long between chapters but I've had a ton of work to do in the past week and haven't been able to just sit down and write. I should have some more free time coming up, so more chapters should be popping up soon! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and to everyone who is reading this right now :)

Chapter 9: Training Day

While glancing around at the students that surround her, Faith solemnly makes her way towards the detention room. She's been in detention before, usually for missing homework assignments or not completing a project, but never for anything like this. She spots the door with a sign reading 'Detention' in ugly black letters. _They should really just change it to 'Hell'…_

Her hand is on the doorknob, ready to open the door, when an unpleasant voice reaches her ears.

"You're even more pathetic than I thought you were." Ivy, followed by an entendre of conceited blondes, is walking towards Faith. _Does she _ever_ go away?_

"What is that supposed to mean?" Turning around to face her, Faith crosses her arms in a defensive position.

"You're actually going to detention for something that you didn't even do! I thought it would take at least a week before you gave in, but I guess I overestimated you." Taking a step closer, Ivy leans in and whispers in Faith's ear, "How long are you going to last in this school before you fail and drop out? I hear McDonald's is looking for employees."

Pushing her away, Faith doesn't reply because she is focused on the tingly feeling in her stomach again.

"I see I've given you something to think about." A few of Ivy's followers snicker, obviously amused at the scene before them.

"Ivy…" Faith says sweetly, "Bite me."

A collective gasp comes from the faction stationed behind Ivy. Giving her one last, and hopefully menacing look in the eye, Faith turns on her heel and storms out of the building. Once out of sight, she begins to run towards Ms. Nelson's apartment. Ten minutes later she rings the bell on the brick wall outside the building. Ms. Nelson's voice comes over the intercom.

"Who is it?" the crackly voice asks.

"It's me, Faith." She says into the speaker.

"I'll let you in, Faith." A buzzer rings and she pushes open the spotless glass door. It closes behind her, and her footsteps echo off the marble floor. Pressing the button for the elevator, Faith watches an old man shuffle down the stairs holding a gift-wrapped box. As he reaches the bottom stop, his foot slips and he begins to fall. Reacting in a split second, Faith steadies the man and catches the present before it hits the floor.

"Oh, thank you miss." He smiles at her as she hands him the box, "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."

"It's no big deal." She insists.

"No, it is. You're a very special young lady." He adjusts the glasses on his face and tips his hat. "Thanks again, and have a nice day."

"You too." She watches him as he hobbles down the front steps of the building and out of sight. The elevator doors open and she steps inside, feeling altruistic.

The elevator takes her up to the fifth floor where she walks down a corridor of doors until she reaches Ms. Nelson's apartment. She doesn't even have to knock because Ms. Nelson is standing in the doorway, holding an old book in her hand, motioning for her to enter.

"Good afternoon, Faith." She says as she closes the door behind her.

Faith drops her messenger bag on the couch and looks around. "Hey." She greets her Watcher.

"I suggest that we start immediately with your training. The key word for any Slayer is preparation, you know."

"What, is that in the handbook?" Faith jokes.

Ms. Nelson looks down at the dusty book in her hands. "Actually, yes it is." She holds up the book so that Faith can see the title on the cover.

"'Slayer's Handbook'? Do I get a pin, too?" she laughs, "It could say 'I'm a Slayer, ask me how."

Ms. Nelson chuckles and places the book down on the coffee table. "As amusing as that idea is, it would go against the very first rule of the Slayer Handbook." Faith looks at her questioningly. "You must keep your identity a secret. No one must know that you are the Slayer." Ms. Nelson walks about the apartment, picking up books and stacking them into neat piles.

"Uh, that could be a problem…" Faith begins to say.

"Nonsense. You will continue with your life as best as you can. Teenager by day, demon hunter by night. Only your enemies will know of your calling. Unless of course you tell someone."

"Yea, I kind of told someone." Ms. Nelson looks up. "My friend Nick was there the day we talked in the shop by the bay. He heard about me being the Slayer and I filled him in on the rest."

"Well, that could cause a problem." Ms. Nelson says, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you gonna have to… kill him?"

"Oh, Heavens no!" Faith breathes a sigh of relief while Ms. Nelson clutches at her chest. "You'll just have to inform him that he cannot tell anyone else. Is he trustworthy?" Faith nods her head.

Walking over to the chest of weapons, Ms. Nelson kneels down and unlocks the box with a key that hangs from a chain around her neck. Rummaging through its contents, she pulls out a simple wooden stake.

"This," she holds up the stake, "shall be your most important ally in your fight against the forces of darkness." She tosses the object in Faith's direction and Faith catches it easily. Twirling it in her hand, she gets the feel of her most valuable weapon.

"One way to kill a vampire is a wooden stake through the heart. As you saw in the cemetery, a vampire will explode into dust when the stake reaches its heart. While patrolling, you will carry at least three stakes with you at any given time."

Walking back to the weapons' chest, Ms. Nelson pulls out a sword. "The sword is best for battles with the average demon, or for vampire decapitation. Also, sunlight and Holy Water will harm or kill a vampire. Are you following so far?" Ms. Nelson stops her pacing and places the long sword on the coffee table, next to a pile of Watcher's Diaries.

"Stake through the heart. Decapitation. Holy Water. Sunlight. Got it." She answers without looking up from the stake in her hand, which she is still twirling and playing with. Although she has never held one, the stake feels right in her hand. It feels like it belongs there. It makes Faith feel powerful.

"I also have a crossbow, equipped with wooden arrows, that will allow you to kill vampires from farther distances. You can attach this strap to wear it on your shoulder for easier mobility." Ms. Nelson hands Faith the crossbow, exchanging it for the stake that Faith is reluctant to let go of.

Putting the strap over her shoulder, Faith finds that the crossbow fits perfectly on her. She twists and turns, testing the movement of the weapon, and she finds that it stays in place. "Pretty cool, Ms. Nelson."

"Yes, I presume it is." Reciting lines from the Slayer Handbook, Ms. Nelson fulfills her duties as Watcher and explains the more bizarre weapons Faith will use. Presenting Faith with a large metal ball covered in spikes, she explains the mechanics of the weapon.

"So, why do they call it a mace?" Faith asks, carefully touching a spike and pulling back when she cuts her finger. _Okay, that was genius…_ she curses under her breath and shakes her hand. Ms. Nelson takes her hand to examine it.

"It was just a superficial wound. It's already healed, see?" Faith brings her hand closer to her face and sees that the cut has in fact already healed.

"Dude, that's awesome." She pricks her finger on the mace a second time and watches closely as the flesh heals itself within seconds. "You gotta love these Slayer healing powers."

"Yes, it is rather fascinating. Although, as entertaining as cutting yourself on your own weapons may be, I think we should get back to work. Before you can use these weapons, I want to make sure you know them."

Placing the mace back in the weapons' chest, Faith sprawls out on the couch as Ms. Nelson quizzes her on the many and varied uses of a battle axe.

Hours later, after the sun has set and the moonlight illuminates the streets, Ms. Nelson has made sure that Faith is knowledgeable of her weapons. They both relax on the couch as Faith sips from a bottle of water.

"How was your day at school, Faith?"

Faith is tentative in her answer. "I got detention for tripping this girl, but I didn't really trip her. She was mad at me and tried to trip me while we were running in gym, but she missed and lost her balance. The teacher blamed me."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She sighs, "How was detention? Tiresome, I would expect."

"I didn't go, actually. I came here instead. I figured that my Slayer duties were more important than lame school punishment for something I didn't even do." She looks over at Ms. Nelson, waiting for her reaction.

"You're right. Slayer duties are more important than your school studies. While I am not telling you to quit school to have more training time, if you were to feel that education would be useless in your case, I would not be against you, uh, dropping out." Ms. Nelson grins and Faith laughs.

"So you'd be okay if I just decided not to go to school tomorrow?" Faith asks, unbelieving.

"You could say that." Ms. Nelson tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Cool." Faith says as she leans back, "Very cool."


	10. Boys

Author's Note: Told you I'd have a new chapter posted soon! Hope you like it :)

Chapter 10: Boys

          Upon opening her eyes Faith is faced with the unsympathetic red light of her digital clock. Noticing the time, she realizes that she should be getting out of bed to get ready for school, but… _Ms. Nelson, as my legal guardian, said I didn't have to…_ Rolling over onto her left side, Faith pulls the covers over her head and falls back into a peaceful sleep.

When she wakes for a second time she throws back the covers and they land in a heap on the blue-carpeted floor. She stretches as she stands and runs a hand through her tangled hair. Her mind feels tired from the information she has absorbed in last night's training lecture, but in contrast her body feels energetic. There is a unique force flowing through her veins that has only been known by her predecessors.

After a failed attempt to make pancakes, Faith is starving. The clock shows that it is almost time for lunch and she decides to go somewhere to eat. As she stands in front of her closet she searches for something to wear but as she pulls out a few things, she finds that nothing is right. Finally, she puts on a pair of dark jeans and a black tank top and sits on the edge of her bed as she slips on her boots. She is about to reach for a jacket from her closet when she remembers a leather coat her mother used to wear.

Dropping her hand to her side she turns and looks in the mirror, imagining herself in the black leather coat. Smiling, she races into her mother's room, opening a door that has been collecting dust, and opens the closet. Rummaging through the various articles of clothing, she realizes that her mother owned some very expensive things. She had been under the assumption they were on a tight budget, but her mother had obviously been holding out on her. _Why?_ She asks, _Why did I have to go so many years without birthday presents or Christmas presents? So she could have designer clothes?_

Finding the leather coat, she tugs it from its hanger and slips it on. The sleeves are a little long, but other than that it fits her perfectly. As she closes the door to her mother's bedroom, she makes a mental note to return and see what else the women had been hiding.

It's noon before Faith finally leaves the house. She heads straight to the bay, knowing some store or restaurant will be open. She fondly remembers the day she and Nick had been here, and suddenly she realizes it has only been two days.

_Has so much really happened in only two days?_ It has, and her head spins with this awareness. Her life has been completely altered in the course of only 48 hours. 

Needing to sit down and think, she walks into the next place she sees. As she enters, she pays no attention to the clientele or the establishment itself. Unaware, she takes a seat and rests her head in her hands.

She hears a voice and realizes that someone is speaking to her. Looking up, she sees that the bartender is looking at her.

"You gonna order something?" he asks her. She looks around, just noticing that she is in a bar. "Hey, how old are you? 19?"

"Uh, yea." She lies. "I'm just…"

"No problem. We're not so uptight about underage drinking here. I'll cut you some slack." He motions towards the array of alcohol displayed behind him, "Choose your poison."

The only alcohol Faith has ever tasted is beer, but she is curious to try more. She says the first thing that comes to her mind. "Strawberry margarita, please."

"Ah, a lady with taste." He smiles at her. "I'm Kenny." He points to the badge on his chest.

"I'm Faith." She answers as she watches him prepare her drink. He has dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and really white teeth. She wonders how he keeps them so white.

"So, Faith, are you from around here? I haven't seen you before." He places the drink in front of her and leans on the counter.

"Yea, I live a few blocks away. I just don't get out much." She sips at her drink, immediately dizzy from the alcohol. She tries not to show it. "What about you?"

"I've got a place just outside of Boston. I spend my days working here and I spend my nights playing with my band. That's actually the only reason I took this job, so I could talk to the owner about letting us play here. We've got a gig coming up this Saturday."

"That's cool. What's the band's name?" she asks.

He laughs, "We haven't actually decided yet. Any ideas?"

She laughs with him and continues to sip at her margarita.

When she finally leaves the bar an hour later, she has Kenny's phone number and he has her promise to come back on Saturday to watch his band play. She still can't believe he thinks she is 19, three years older than she actually is. She attributes part of it to the leather coat.

Walking along the waterfront, she remembers that today is Nick's first lacrosse game. A pang of guilt hits her as she wonders if Nick is worried about her. Deciding to go to the game, she daydreams of Nick as she walks along the boardwalk.

At four thirty she steps foot on school grounds. Walking through the parking lot, she can hear cheering. The first and last games of the season are always the most populated. Turning the corner, she sees that the game has just begun. As she comes closer to the field she searches for Nick but cannot pick him out of the crowd of players.

She stands at the edge of the field and watches the game for a while when suddenly a hand touches her waist. Startled, she spins around and comes face to face with a boy with unkempt black hair and a skateboard held loosely at his side.

"Ronnie." She addresses him coldly.

"Faith," he replies. "It's been a while."

"It's been a week and a half. If you weren't so stoned you'd be able to tell time like the rest of us."

"Ouch." He grabs his chest, as if wounded. "You burn me."

She crosses her arms in front of her chest and shifts her weight from one foot to the other.

"Why haven't you called? I've missed you." He steps closer and she moves out of the way, putting more distance between them.

"I broke up with you, last week at the funeral. Don't you remember?" At her mother's funeral he had showed up late, clearly inebriated, and tried to corner her in a broom closet. Disgusted, she broke up with him on the spot. She was currently wondering what she ever saw in him to begin with.

"You didn't mean that." He moves to touch her again and she jerks away. As she backs away she says one last time, "We're over, Ronnie. Leave me alone." She turns and jogs to the bleachers and seats herself near an elderly couple that has come to cheer for their grandson.

A booming voice comes over the loudspeaker, announcing the presence of the team's newest player: Nick, number seventeen. She whistles loudly and spots Nick looking up at her, laughing. For the rest of the game she cheers and claps with the majority of the crowd, more enthusiastic than she has ever been at a sports competition.

When the game is over the home team has barely won but it's a celebrated victory. Parents and friends rush to greet the players but Faith waits until the crowd thins before approaching the field.

She finds Nick talking to some of his teammates, musing over a particularly great play. Nick sees her walking over and immediately waves good-bye to his other friends. She can tell he's thrilled and she shares in his excitement. As they meet in the middle of the field she throws her arms around him and congratulates him on an awesome first game.

"I can't believe it!" Ronnie's voice reaches her ears and she releases Nick from the embrace. "You've been cheating on me!"

She sighs as Nick looks between the two of them. "You're dating him?" he asks confused and hurt. She rushes to explain.

"No, I broke up with him but he won't leave me alone." Nick sighs in relief, but Ronnie persists.

"You dumped me for him?" Ronnie shouts.

"I've only known Nick for a few days! I broke up with you because you're a jerk!" Faith shouts back.

"You've only known this guy for a few days?" Ronnie says, "You little slut!"

Before she knows it, Ronnie is on the ground clutching his nose as blood pours over his hands. Nick stands above him. "Watch your mouth."

Faith grabs Nick's arm and tugs him away from Ronnie. She keeps pulling him until they reach the locker room doors.

"Nick…" she begins to say.

"I know. You can take care of yourself. You don't need me to fight your battles… but he really ticked me off." Nick stares past Faith at the field where Ronnie is slowly getting to his feet.

"Actually, I was gonna say thanks." His gaze leaves the field and he looks at her. "No one's ever stood up for me before."

He smiles warmly at her. "Any time."

The coach calls to him, breaking the moment. They say their good-byes and after he disappears into the locker room she turns to see Ronnie still stumbling around the field.

He sees her and yells, "I'm the best you ever had!" She ignores him and turns towards the parking lot. He calls out again, "Actually, I'm the only guy you ever had." He begins to laugh hysterically, practically falling over in the process.

As she walks away she holds up her hand, giving him the finger.


	11. Five By Five

**Author's Note: Thank you to SlayGal, Hugo, Faithful and Whispers for reviewing the last chapter! And thank you to everyone who's reading… hope you're all enjoying it :)**

**Chapter 11: Five by Five**

Early the next morning Faith's eyes snap open and she is instantly awake. Sitting up, she catches her breath as she untangles the sheets that have wrapped themselves around her torso. When her heartbeat finally slows, she moves to the edge of the bed and places her unsteady feet on the floor. Slowly she walks towards her dresser and looks up into the mirror at her own wide eyes.

She hasn't had a nightmare in years, not since she was seven. They had plagued her sleeping mind for months before finally disappearing one night, never to return. _Until now_, she thinks. She notices her hand shaking and wonders why she can't seem to remember what has frightened her. She has never remembered the nightmares themselves, only the piercing terror she would feel upon waking.

The shaking has stopped by the time she returns to her room from the bathroom. Showered and refreshed, she feels better.

Tying back her wet hair, she notices for the first time the muscles of her arms. _I'm loving these slayer benefits…_

Dressed in dark beige cargos and a white tank, she descends the stairs just as the sun is beginning to rise. In the kitchen she sends an angry glare at the abandoned box of pancake mix as she recalls her failed attempt at breakfast the day before. She must settle for scrambled eggs because it is the only thing she knows how to cook.

She doesn't eat again until lunchtime. As Nick talks excitedly about the prior night's lacrosse game, she practically inhales her pizza. His eyes light up as he recalls the play that enabled him to score his first points and she has to laugh.

After lunch, they walk up the stairs to their lockers to get their books for history.

"Did you study for the quiz?" Nick asks.

"Quiz?" Faith repeats.

"Yea," he notices her frown, "It's just a small quiz on World War II. Don't worry." She shivers not only from worry, but also from the cold wind that sweeps down the hallway. "Cold?" she nods her head and he immediately removes his denim jacket. "Here." He hands it to her and she puts it on.

"Thanks." She says as they reach their lockers. Quietly, she grabs a pen and a pencil and swings the locker shut as she walks away. Nick appears beside her again and they walk to class silently. The bell rings as they take their seats. The teacher hands out the quizzes as he explains that he has to go speak with another teacher and they will be on the honor system. He leaves the room and although the room is still quiet, the inevitable cheating begins.

As she looks over the quiz questions, Faith realizes that she knows nothing about the causes of World War II. Sighing, she looks ahead of her at Nick who is busy scribbling away. The ticking of the clock seems to amplify itself inside her head and it's overwhelming her thoughts so much that she cannot think straight. After a few minutes she slams her pencil down on her desk. "Screw this."

Nick turns around to look at her as she stands up. "Faith, what are you doing?"

"I'm leaving." She says as she looks down at him.

"Leaving?" he asks. "You can't just leave…"

She crumples up her quiz paper and drops it in the wastebasket at the front of the room. Turning back to him she says, "Yea, actually I can."

The class watches the scene unfold with rapt attention and utter confusion as Faith approaches the window. Sliding it open, she pulls herself up onto the ledge.

"Faith," Nick grabs her arm, "we're on the third floor."

She smiles at him. "Not a problem." Nick's hand drops back to his side and she maneuvers onto the outside ledge of the window. "Come by my house tonight and I'll give you back your jacket." Before he can answer, she jumps from the ledge and out of his sight.

She hits the roof of the first floor extension and rolls. When she stands back up, she hears Nick's voice. "I'll be there at eight!" He calls down to her and then his head disappears back inside the window. Smiling, she reaches the edge of the roof and jumps off. She lands on the hard black pavement of the parking lot with ease. Dusting off Nick's jacket, she walks off school grounds knowing she will not be back.

She jogs up the steps of Ms. Nelson's apartment building about half an hour later. She is about to buzz the intercom, but the old man she had met the other day opens the glass door for her.

"Thank you, sir." She says politely.

He scoffs at the word 'sir' and then laughs. "Please, call me Bernie."

"Okay." She says, "Thank you, Bernie."

She passes by the elevator and goes right for the stairs. She reaches Ms. Nelson's door and knocks loudly, hoping she is home.

"Who is it?" a female voice calls back.

"It's your favorite slayer." Faith answers.

The door opens and Ms. Nelson ushers Faith inside. "Aren't you supposed to be in school? Is something wrong? Were you attacked? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine!" Faith insists. "It's just… I was thinking a lot about what you said the other day. I think I need to focus on my slayer duties more than school because if this gig is as important as you say it is, I wanna do it right."

"That's very commendable." Ms. Nelson takes a seat on the couch and reaches for a book on the coffee table. "And now that you're here I can bring you up to speed."

Faith perches herself on the arm of the couch and looks over Ms. Nelson's shoulder at the open book she is holding.

"You see this passage? It speaks of a demon cult that tries to resurrect its leader every ten years." Ms. Nelson points to the book and Faith squints as she leans closer.

"Uh, that's not English, is it?"

"No, it's Latin actually." Closing the book, she looks up at Faith. "I hate to put so much pressure on you so early in your career as a slayer but I have no other choice. This cult is planning to resurrect its leader right here in Boston. I don't know exactly where or when, but I do know it will be sometime before the full moon. Maybe even during the full moon. Either way, there is a good chance that these demons have assimilated among the Boston population. They can shape shift and take any form so I want you to stay alert. They could be anywhere, Faith. They might even be people that you already know. Teachers, students… anyone."

"So this demon cult, I have to… kill them?" Faith asks hesitantly.

"Yes, which means we have to speed up your training. Today you will practice here in the apartment, but tomorrow night you will get some field experience. We'll go back to the cemetery and hunt a few fledgling vampires. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good." Faith's voice is hesitant again and Ms. Nelson notices.

"Faith, are you all right?" she asks.

Faith looks down as she answers. "I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed, I guess."

"You just need to take equal steps." Ms. Nelson tells her firmly.

Faith looks at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Ms. Nelson stands and walks towards the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she pulls out a pitcher and pours two glasses of iced tea. "It's something my grandmother used to tell me. It means… it means that you need to stay balanced and take things equally. For example, if you take five steps with your left foot, you have to take five steps with your right foot. Correct?"

"Yea… I think I understand." Faith says as she takes a glass of iced tea.

"Good." Ms. Nelson lifts her glass in the air for a toast. "To staying balanced." There is no clink of glass, just the dull thud of plastic against plastic, but it's enough.

"So, what would you say to some sword training?" she looks at Faith almost like a daughter and Faith feels comforted.

"I'd say… that I'm five by five."


	12. This Boy's Life

**Author's Note: A great big thank you to SlayGal, Faithful, rma and Hugo for their reviews! And to whoever nominated this fic at the Barefoot Awards… THANK YOU! You rock! lol. The nomination was very unexpected, but nonetheless welcomed :)**

**Chapter 12: This Boys' Life**

Quietly, Faith stands at the kitchen sink as she washes the plate she has just eaten off of. She dries it, returns it to the cabinet, and turns to survey the room. Everything is neat and in place so she switches off the light and moves to the living room. The room isn't used much, so it is also clean. Glancing at the clock she notices that Nick should be arriving soon.

In the upstairs bathroom she brushes her hair and adjusts her clothes. She's still wearing the tank top and cargos.

Restless and anxious, she wanders into her mother's bedroom. Her eyes fall on the jewelry box and she feels drawn to it. Running her fingers over the wooded surface, she gently pulls open the box. Rummaging around, she finds the cross necklace that used to belong to her grandmother and picks it up to get a closer look. It's a simple silver cross on a simple silver chain.

As the cold silver warms from the heat of her hand, she drifts back to her conversation with Ms. Nelson. _The demons could be anyone._ She starts to think about some people from school, wondering who seems more demonic than others. _Who is the most suspicious?_ A thought suddenly occurs to her, and although it does not appeal to her, her mind pursues it. Nick, she suddenly realizes, has never questioned her about the supernatural things that have occurred. _Why not?_ She asks herself. _Because he's a demon,_ a distant part of her mind answers, _because he wants to kill you…_

The sharp knocking at the front door snaps her out of her thoughts. Pocketing the necklace, she leaves her mother's room and slowly descends the stairs, still disturbed by her train of thought. She stops at the door, frozen, while her hand rests on the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, she turns the knob and pulls the door open to reveal Nick standing on the front porch bathed in an unnatural yellow color from the porch lights.

"Hey Faith." He smiles at her.

She doesn't return the smile because she is lost in her thoughts. _Vampires can't come in without an invite…_ "Hey Nick."

He stands on the opposite side of the threshold, watching her and waiting to be welcomed in. She stands to the side, a physical invitation for him to enter because she will not say the words. She is testing him. She feels like time is slowing down, seconds stretch on for millennia while she waits to see if Nick, this boy that she has trusted, is a vampire.

He raises an eyebrow at her, clearly confused as to why she is not speaking. After a few more seconds he takes a step forward, but not into the house.

"Are you okay? You look a little freaked out." She watches his feet as they near the door jam. "Did something happen after you left school? Something to do with Ms. Nelson?" His left foot steps onto the wood floor, then his right foot follows. He is inside the house.

Sighing in relief, she quickly walks around him to close the door and locks it.

"Faith, you're scaring me. What's wrong?" he asks concerned.

She leads him towards the living room couch. "I'm sorry Nick. I haven't had a good day." She sits down and he follows her, sitting down in a chair. She continues, "Ms. Nelson told me today that this demon cult is gonna try to resurrect their leader and I have to stop them, but I don't know what I'm doing! I haven't even fought any real vampires yet. What if I fail? What if I get killed?" Tears begin to collect behind her eyes, "I don't wanna die."

He moves from the chair and sits beside her on the couch. Tentatively, he reaches out a hand to place it on her shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

She wipes at her eyes, embarrassed that she is crying in front of him. They sit, silently, for a few minutes until she regains control of her emotions.

"I still have a question, though."

He removes his hand to lean forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Shoot."

"Why aren't you freaked out by all this vampire stuff?" She looks at his eyes but he doesn't meet her gaze. Instead he looks down at his feet.

"I'd rather not say." He says softly.

She rises from the couch and takes a few steps across the room, ringing her hands together worriedly. "That's not good enough, Nick."

He looks up at her but she refuses to turn and look at him.

"I need to know." She continues. "To trust you, I need to know." She waits for him to answer.

He leans back on the couch and sighs. "Okay."

"Okay?" she turns around to face him.

His gaze is fixed on some unknown point as he starts to speak. "About a month ago, me and my sister Michelle were watching television in the den. My parents were in the kitchen, my mom was cooking dinner and my dad was reading the newspaper. Everything is normal, right?" He runs a hand through his hair. "Michelle was begging me to braid her hair and I kept telling her that boys don't braid hair, but she was stubborn. Finally I agreed to do it and she ran up to her room to get a brush and her butterfly hair clips. I heard this noise, like a thump, but I figured she dropped something. After a few minutes she didn't come back down and I was getting impatient so I went upstairs to find out what was taking so long. I was calling her but she didn't answer. Her door was partly open and when I opened it…" he pauses, "when I opened it I say her laid across her bed, kind of like she was thrown there… and there was blood all over. Her pink bed sheets were covered in it. I couldn't scream, I couldn't move. I was frozen. Then I heard this noise come from the roof outside the window. I ran over and looked out, and that's when I screamed. There was a man, or at least it looked like a man, on the roof. When he heard me scream he turned around and I saw part of his face. That's when I could tell he was a vampire."

Faith moves closer to him as he begins to cry. She places herself on the couch, sitting on one bent leg and facing him, as she puts her arms around him. He leans into her and cries. She begins to cry with him, feeling his pain because she's been through something similar.

"He must have been waiting by the window for her to go up to her room. The box where she kept her hair clips was on her desk next to the window. That's how he grabbed her, I think. He grabbed her, pulled her out and killed her, then threw her back inside."

When both their crying stops, they slowly move apart. She reaches for the box of tissues on the end table and offers it to him. As they both dry their eyes, she says, "I'm sorry."

He nods but doesn't have enough control to speak yet and a few more minutes pass by before he does. "That's why I know about vampires. That's why we moved here to Boston." He laughs an unhappy laugh. "Can we talk about something else now?"

"Sure. We can talk about whatever you want." She assures him.

"What was your life like before all this slayer stuff happened?"

She leans back into the couch, getting comfortable. "Mostly there was just Ronnie. It's pathetic, I know, but we hung out with the same group of people and one day he asked me out and I just said yes."

"Who'd you hang out with? You seem more like a loner to me." Nick says.

She laughs. "I am… or was at least." He smiles back at her, understanding what she means. "I didn't have many friends when I was younger because everyone's parents knew my mom was an alcoholic and they wouldn't let their kids near me. When I reached high school I met a group of people that didn't know about my mom so I just started to hang with them. They were okay."

"Why don't you hang out with them anymore?" he questions.

She plays with her fingers, slowly chipping off the black nail polish. "When my mom died, the whole town found out. I broke up with Ronnie at the funeral, and it was really his group of friends, not mine. I haven't talk to any of them since."

"You're not alone anymore." He says quietly.

She answers him just as quietly. "I know."

"What about before Ronnie? Any other guys?"

"Steve." She answers. "When I was fifteen I dated this guy named Steve. He was a year older than me, but he got left back a year so he was in most of my classes. He was nice to me, and he seemed normal.  We didn't go out for long, though. He was a total klepto and he had this obsession with cheerleaders. He wanted me to join the squad so I could get one of those uniforms with the short skirt." She laughs out loud. "Can you picture me in a cheerleading outfit with a set of pompoms?"

Nick begins to answer but she sends him a look and he closes his mouth. He can't stop his smile, though.

"Anyway, he wanted too much physical stuff so I broke up with him."

"Good choice." He agrees with her.

"And you? How many girls' hearts have you broken?" she jokes with him.

"Only one. A girl named Grace, back in New York. I was dating her for about a month when we had to move. We both decided that the long distance thing wasn't gonna work, so we broke up."

"Good choice." She repeats his words.

He begins to talk again, telling her about his hometown and his old friends. She listens, absorbing everything she can, and neither notices the time as the clock ticks into the early morning hours.


	13. Bye, Bye Love

**Author's Note: Sorry about the long gap in between chapters! I've been preoccupied lately… hehe, SlayGal knows why ;)**

**Chapter 13: Bye, Bye Love**

          Saturday night Faith and Nick walk into 'Burr', the bar where Kenny's band is playing. He follows her through the crowd as she navigates towards the bar. As she pulls herself onto the last vacant bar stool, Nick asks her something but over the background noise she cannot hear him.

          Leaning closer, he asks, "Why is this place called 'Burr'?"

          She shrugs her shoulders because she has no idea. She had never given it much thought. Turning towards the bar, she sees Kenny approaching.

          "Faith, you made it." Kenny greets her.

          She smiles. "I told you I'd be here." She notices his gaze move past her and land on Nick.

          "Who's your friend?" he asks.

          She picks up on the hint of jealousy in his voice.

          "I'm Nick." He stands behind her and as he answers his hands come to rest on her sides. She is amused by the territorial gesture.

          "I have time to make a few more drinks before the band goes on stage. What would you like?"

          "A strawberry margarita and…" she looks at Nick.

          "Diet coke, thanks."

          Kenny nods. "Coming right up."

          After a few seconds, Nick speaks again.

          "I don't like him." he says suddenly.

          Faith begins to laugh. "Are you this protective with everyone, or am I special?"

          Kenny returns with their drinks and sets them down on the counter.

          Nick's hold on Faith tightens. "No, you're special." He says just loud enough for Kenny to hear.

          With their drinks in hand, Faith and Nick wander around before finally finding an empty table. As they sit, Kenny's band sets up their equipment on the stage.

          "So how'd that history quiz go?" Faith asks, trying to make conversation.

          "Pretty well, I think." He looks, just for a second, past her and at the stage. "You made quite the story around school. Everyone's been talking about how you jumped out the window." He pauses, "Are you ever gonna come back?"

          She shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. I've got more important things to be worried about now. I wasn't in school all that much, anyway. I had a lot of absences…" _…because of all the times I was too beat up to show my face in public._

          The crowd on the dance floor cheers, bringing Faith's attention to the stage where a guy with a microphone announces the bands' first song.

          Tipsy from her drink, Faith stumbles out of her chair and moves to the dance floor, pulling Nick with her. She begins to dance while Nick is still hesitant. "I don't really dance." He complains, but she ignores him. She hasn't danced in weeks and feels the need to let loose some of her energy. Completely unaware of the attention she is drawing, she lets herself gets lost in the music. Nick is aware of the stares that are fixed on her, however, and pulls her closer.

          The first song ends and a slower one begins. Faith slips her arms around Nick's neck as she talks to him.

          "Having fun?" she asks, giggling.

          He raises an eyebrow, but answers her. "Yea, I am." She giggles again. "Are you okay?"

          "Why wouldn't I be?"

          He looks over to their table where their drinks are. "You've barely had two sips of your margarita and you already seem drunk. So, again I ask, are you okay?"

          "I'm fine, stop worrying. I'm just having a good time."

          As she rests her head on his shoulder, he lets his suspicions go and instead focuses his attention on the girl in his arms. They remain on the dance floor for the next few songs, dancing and laughing at Nick's lack of coordination.

          A sudden rush of pain floods Faith's mind and she stumbles backwards. Nick reaches out and steadies her and she vaguely hears him ask if she's all right. He mutters under his breath, saying that he knew something was wrong. She excuses herself and clumsily pushes through the crowd of people on the dance floor, making her way to the hallway that leads to the bathrooms.

          She stops when she reaches the hallway and leans against the wall, groaning in pain. She feels as if her head might explode. A hand touches her shoulder and, expecting Nick, moves into the circles of his arms. When her head reaches his shoulder, she notices the height difference and immediately opens her eyes.

          "Faith…" Kenny says quietly, "How are you feeling?"

          She backs away, but finds that she cannot escape his grasp. She moves to push him and finds that her strength is gone. Panicking, she screams. His hand covers her mouth and her scream is muffled, now barely audible above the music. She bites down on his hand and she is momentarily let out of his grasp. She trips as she attempts to get past him and he grabs her, pushing her against the wall. Suddenly his lips are on hers and his hands are on her body.

          "Get off!" she yells.

          He only laughs as he pins her to the wall. "C'mon Faith, you can be my official groupie. We could have so much fun together…"

          His lips are attacking hers again and she's terrified. Suddenly he pulls away and Faith looks up to see Nick standing before them, framed by the light behind him.

          "Nick?" she asks hazily. She doesn't hear what he says, only sees him turn and leave. Another assault of pain rushes to her head. She screams, startling Kenny, but when the pain passes she feels her strength return.

          Kenny approaches her again but she shoves him and he crashes into the opposite wall.

          "You bastard!" she shouts as she stands over him, "What did you put in my drink?"

          He looks up at her, amazed. "I put enough drugs in that drink to keep you calm for the whole night!"

          She resists the overwhelming urge to hit him because she knows she will not be able to hold back. "Don't even _think_ about coming near me _ever_ again." She turns and runs, not stopping until she is safely outside of the building. Standing on the sidewalk, she looks up and down the street, searching for Nick. She cannot find him and she doesn't want to be alone, so she goes to the only other place she can think of.

          Ten minutes later, the door to Ms. Nelson's apartment opens to find Faith, disheveled and crying, standing in the hallway.

          "Faith, are you all right?" Ms. Nelson is shocked.

          Faith shakes her head. "No, I don't think I am."


	14. Bring It On, Part 1

Author's Note: Sorry for the huge delay between chapters lately, I've been preoccupied… yea Adam, that means you!! lol ;) Anyway, here's a short chapter to tide everyone over until I have time to sit down and write some more. Hope you like it, and keep the reviews coming!

Chapter 14: Bring It On, Part 1

          When Faith's tears finally stop, Ms. Nelson approaches her with a cup of hot tea. Silently, Faith takes the drink and holds it in her hands. She has told Ms. Nelson everything, and is embarrassed to look her in the face.

          "Faith," Ms. Nelson says quietly, "none of that was your fault." Faith shakes her head and wipes her sleeve across her face to dry her tear-stained cheeks. "You couldn't have known."

          "I should have known…" Faith begins to cry again. She brings her legs closer and leans her head on her knees, quietly rocking back and forth.

          It has been at least an hour since Faith arrived at the apartment, hysterically upset. Ms. Nelson has done her best to comfort her, but has not had much experience and does not know what she should do. Her heart reaches out to the poor girl in front of her.

          "There's another thing I don't understand, though." Faith finally looks up at her. "The drugs, whatever he put in my drink… why didn't they work on me?"

          Ms. Nelson can't help but smile, despite herself. "Slayer benefits." She answers simply,  "Your strength is enhanced, your healing abilities are enhanced… all part of the slayer package. The pain, it was the chemicals reacting badly with your blood. It did something to your body, for a little while. Do you understand?"

          "Yea, I got it."

          A few more minutes go by before Ms. Nelson speaks again.

          "I'm afraid I have some more bad news." She sighs, "This afternoon I received a call from a Watcher stationed in Missouri. A vampire has been… oh, how did he put it? 'Snacking on the locals' is what I think he said. I have plane tickets for tomorrow morning for Missouri. We'll go, you'll slay, and we'll be back in a few days. How does that sound?"

          "Do I really have a choice?" Faith asks sadly.

          Ms. Nelson frowns. "No, you don't actually. And I know you haven't had any fieldwork, I was hoping to do that tonight. Despite that, I think you'll be ready. I have confidence in you."

          "At least one of us does." Faith replies under her breath.

          Ms. Nelson stands, "I know you've had an awful night, but do you think you are up to it?" Faith doesn't respond. "It might even be therapeutic for you to expend some energy…"

          The corner of Faith's mouth rises in a small smile. "Yea, I guess so." Slowly, she rises from the couch and drops the blanket that had been draped around her to the floor. Her arms stretch upward, cramped from her previous position. She rolls her shoulders, kicks out her legs and moves her head from side to side, warming up her muscles. "Where are we headed?" she asks finally.

          Ms. Nelson digs through the weapons chest, pulling out a crossbow and bolts. She picks up a few stakes and tosses them to Faith. "Hillman Burying Ground. I read in the obituaries this morning that a young girl was murdered. Severe neck wounds, most likely a vampire attack. Her grave is on the east end of the cemetery, the name is… Stefanie Nester."

Still on her knees, she moves awkwardly to the coffee table where a folded newspaper sits. She picks it up and Faith sees she has circled something with red marker. "Yes, Stefanie Nester." She closed the weapons bag and stands. "Ready?"

          Faith nods, her eyes shining with uncertainty, "As ready as I'll ever be."


	15. Bring It On, Part 2

Author's Note: I know, it's been forever since I updated… I've been busy. Thanks for sticking with the story, I'm trying to catch up on my writing… but I won't make any promises. Updates may be few and far between…

Chapter 15: Bring It On, Part 2

          Arriving at the cemetery gates, Faith realizes that her palms are sweaty. Moist from her sweat, the stake is sticky in her grasp. Uneasily, she shifts from her left foot to her right foot, and then back again. Ms. Nelson approaches her from behind.

          "Nervous, I see." She says quietly and Faith nods in a quiet agreement. They both stand and stare out into the ongoing rows of graves, anxious for the upcoming fight.

          "You'll do fine."

          "I hope so."

          "Here's your crossbow."

          "Thanks."

          When there's nothing left to say, Ms. Nelson leads Faith to the fresh grave. The newly overturned dirt clearly points the way to their target. Faith kneels down beside the tombstone to read the inscription. Involuntarily, her fingers reach up to touch the carvings but she pulls back before she can touch the cold stone.

          "What do we do now?" Faith asks.

          Ms. Nelson sighs, "We wait."

          Half an hour later, Faith finds herself lost in a daydream. Thinking about Nick, she stares up into the night sky and watches the clouds pass the moon, causing a short span of greater darkness. When the clouds pass, the moonlight shines down and illuminates the graveyard so suddenly that it catches Faith's attention.

          There is a sudden tingle in her stomach, a feeling of anticipation, and she somehow knows a vampire is near. Looking beside her, she is startled to find that the dirt is moving, displacing itself. A hand appears, followed by an arm. Slowly, the facade of a young girl pulls herself out of an early grave. The girl herself, shorter than Faith with light brown hair, looks innocent.

          Ms. Nelson takes a few measured steps backwards, giving Faith space to work with. The vampire, the demon that now inhabits the body of Stefanie, becomes aware of its surroundings and lunges at Faith.

          Faith rolls with the momentum of the vampire and subsequently jumps to her feet. With her stake in hand, she arcs her arm downwards towards the heart. Instantly, the vampire blocks the attack. With one kick Faith flies backwards, hitting the sharp edge of a nearby tombstone. Falling to her knees, she gasps for breath. The vampire has gained the advantage and dives at her once again. Faith rolls out of the way, sending the vampire into the same tombstone she had just hit, and Faith reacts quickly. Grabbing her fallen stake, she quickly stabs the vampire's heart.

          As she disintegrates into dust, Faith finally looks her in the face. She recognizes Stefanie, a girl who had attended her school. Shy but friendly, she was a cheerleader and ranked number four in her class.

          Ms. Nelson, proud of Faith's triumph, claps her hands loudly. "Oh, that was wonderful, Faith. I am very proud."

          Faith smiles. She is stunned, but nonetheless pleased with her slaying. Twirling her stake in her hand, she brushes the vampire dust from her jacket with one hand while Ms. Nelson returns the unused crossbow to her weapons bag.

          As they leave the cemetery, the sound of crickets chirping echoes in the night breeze and Faith takes pride in the fact that she has joined the fight against evil.


	16. First Flight

Author's Note: I am incredibly sorry for the insane gap between chapters, but I've been very busy with… well, everything. I'm starting to pick up where I left off, so expect new chapters to be coming. I hope people are still interested in the story, so review and let me know! Thanks.

Chapter 16: First Flight

The unnatural light of the airport waiting area causes Faith to cringe. The light combined with the tacky carpeting and less-than-comfortable seating makes her head ache. Ms. Nelson paces near the ticket counter, every so often looking up at the electronic sign behind the desk that announces flight arrivals and departures in a cryptic code.

Sitting back in a chair, Faith's eyelids are heavy and when undisturbed they slowly close over her tired eyes. It is seven o'clock in the morning, only a few hours after her patrol in the cemetery, and she hasn't slept since the night before. After retrieving a small amount of clothing and some basic necessities from her house, she had driven with Ms. Nelson to one of Boston's many airports. They passed through security check after security check, waited on line after line, and now they had nothing to do but wait another hour for the plane to begin boarding.

As she drifts off into a restless sleep, Faith's dreams revolve around the upcoming flight. Her mind is filled with horrific scenes of everything from bad on-flight meals to tragic plane crashes. As time goes by, her dreams change from aerial catastrophes to ones of attempted rape. She can clearly remember her helplessness, Kenny's cruelty, and Nick's confusion and hurt upon seeing what he must have thought was a consenting make-out session.

Suddenly, a tap on the shoulder jerks her awake. Ms. Nelson stands above her, offering a cup of Starbucks coffee and a cinnamon roll.

"Here, I thought you should eat something." Faith nods, taking the food and the hot beverage and placing them carefully on the table beside her. As Ms. Nelson sits, she stands. "What's the matter?"

She reaches into her pocket for any spare change that may be there. "I need to make a phone call."

When she finally locates the payphones, which have been cleverly hidden at the far edge of the food court, she realizes she is not quite sure what to tell Nick. Muttering to herself, she works out the many scenarios but none seem to be quite right. After minutes of contemplation, she picks up the receiver, inserts two quarters into the slot, and dials his cell phone number. Unfortunately, his cell phone is not turned on. Trying again, she calls his house number. The line rings, but no one picks up. A voice tells her to leave a message.

"Hey Nick, it's Faith. I'm at the airport right now, Ms. Nelson's taking me to Missouri for, uh, business, and I couldn't leave without telling you that last night was a huge misunderstanding. I wasn't with Kenny, I… I can't tell you all of it now but I just need you to know that-" she is abruptly cut off by the unforgiving beep of Nick's answering machine. Time is up.

Slamming down the receiver, she shouts a few obscene words before storming away from the pay phone area. When she reaches the waiting area she collapses angrily into a stale seat, folding her arms over her chest and glowering.

Twenty minutes later, a cheery blonde woman with a discordant voice announces that Flight 22 is now boarding. Gathering her backpack and denim jacket, Faith follows Ms. Nelson onto the plane. Finding their seats, they sit down and Faith hesitantly opens the shade of the window beside her. Looking down, she sees men and women in bright orange jackets directing luggage and planes on the crowded runway. Quickly shutting the shade, she leans back into her seat.

"Have you ever seen that episode of 'The Twilight Zone', the one where there's something on the wing of the plane but no one believes the man who sees it? They just think he's insane, or drunk or something." Faith asks quietly.

The Watcher senses her slayer's tension and places a steady hand on her shaking shoulder. "Faith, are you scared of planes?"

"I don't know yet." Faith answers, and then turns to look at the older woman. "I've never been on one, until today."

"You'll be fine. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Have confidence in modern technology." Reaching into the bag she had placed under her seat, Ms. Nelson pulls out a pack of sugarless gum. "Chew this. It will help when the plane ascends. The altitude change can make your head hurt, but chewing the gum will alleviate some aggravation."

Faith willingly takes the gum and hastily shoves it into her mouth. Her hand clamps around the armrest and she tightly shuts her eyes, mumbling to herself while the plane rumbles down the runway. As the plane's wheels leave the ground, her hold tightens around the plastic armrest and it snaps pathetically under the pressure. A few surrounding passengers turn to look at her, and Ms. Nelson laughs nervously.

"Oh these armrests… so flimsy…" Ms. Nelson slumps into her seat as the plane continues to fly higher and higher. Beside her, Faith's grip still grows tighter around the plastic shards that had previously been the armrest. One sharply angled piece cuts into her palm and a trail of blood leaves her hand and drips to the unsightly argyle carpeting that covers the floor. Faith's gaze, however, remains straight towards the seat in front of her. Her eyes do not move, do not falter, from their constant vigilant of the headrest of the passenger before her.

When the plane reaches flying altitude Ms. Nelson reaches over and unclenches Faith's hand. Removing the plastic, she takes out a tissue from her bag and cleans as much blood as she can from Faith's hand. Her slayer, blank, does not notice.

For the rest of the plane ride, Faith stares straight ahead as the blood dries on her hand.


	17. The Watcher's Diary of Ms Ashley Nelson

**Author's Note: Hey, look! Another chapter! :-D If you're still sticking with the story: you rock! And please let me know my reviewing…**

**Chapter 17: The Watcher's Diary of Ms. Ashley Nelson**

Entry # 15

June 1, 1998

Upon reaching our destination in Missouri we discovered a horrid heat wave in the area. It was unfortunate and proved to be yet another disadvantage. The vampire we were searching for had taken up residence in a bayou fifteen miles south of our hotel. After I took Faith on a few more nights of field training, in which she surpassed my expectations, we traveled by rental car to the small town of Nixa.

On the hunt, Faith took her crossbow (she has amazing aim) and hid three stakes within the folds of her clothing. Two on her legs and one near her waist. She complained about the awkward placing of her weapons, but she grew used to it after only half an hour. She adapts quickly.

At 11:32 we found the shack in which the creature lived. Our sources had warned us that he kept various animals as pets, including an infamous alligator reported to be at least 15 feet, two feet above the average size of an adult alligator. Faith walked quietly up to the window to peer inside and reported to me that there were at least nine vampires within the tiny shack. Highly outnumbered, we returned to our hotel to plan out our next move.

The next night we took with us a novelty toy I had purchased at the hotel gift shop for an overpriced fee of $3.99. When blown into, it makes a noise akin to a duck's call.

A hundred yards from the shack, I used the toy to create what, in the bayou, was a strange noise. As we had hoped, one vampire came to investigate the sound and Faith overtook him. He was a strong vampire, but she bested him without even getting close to him. While he pushed his way through a particularly dense area of plants, she hid in a nearby tree and shot him with the crossbow. She contacted the heart on her first try.

We repeated this procedure for a week until one night when no vampires came to investigate the noise. We retreated back to the hotel at sunrise.

The next night, Faith once again spied on the vampire in his shack. From his description, we knew it was our target. He was about six feet tall, had dark unruly hair and dark eyes, was slightly overweight, and had a tattoo of an alligator on his left arm. Inadvertently, Faith knocked over a chair outside the shack and made somewhat of a clamor.

The vampire found Faith crouching outside, but chose not to fight her. For some reason, he did not realize she was a slayer. Instead, he threw her into the marsh as food for her alligator. Not to be taken out so easily, Faith fought with the alligator on the shore of the marsh. After a few close calls, she stabbed it with her stake and it slowly bled to death. The vampire, who had just returned to notice his alligator has been killed, was furious and confused. He inhaled deeply, smelling Faith's blood (she had been cut by the jaws of the alligator and her arm was in need of repair) and realized that she was the Chosen One. Intelligently, Faith ran. She was in no shape to fight the vampire that night.

We returned to the bayou a few nights later when Faith's arm was completely healed. She now carried five stakes, her crossbow on her back, and a battle-axe in her right hand. Bravely, and maybe a little arrogantly, she marched right into the shack and before the vampire knew what had happened, she used her battle-axe to decapitate him before he could stand from his chair. I had expected a bit more of a fight from such a highly feared vampire, but I was nonetheless proud of my slayer.

I plan to delay our return to Boston for a week or two. I think it is better to have Faith practice and train here, without distractions or interferences. She is progressing wonderfully and I do not want to inhibit her growth as a slayer.


End file.
